| Laughter is a physiological and human-behavioral expression. Laughter expresses feelings of happiness and release.
Laughter is a physical reflex involving the contraction of muscles and the rapid expulsion of air. When this reflex is triggered, there is a feeling of titillation that causes us to laugh at anything. Laughter is infectious. Even someone who is quite unused to laughing can be carried along by the majority and burst out laughing.
Laughter = freedom
Apparently we identify laughter with absolute freedom, and therefore intensive laughter causes us to feel and act like children. We love to laugh, laughter makes it possible for us to shake off life`s cares. Among children, laughter is seen as a game, while among adults, laughter expresses more complex emotions (such as humor) and is used in a more sophisticated way for a wide range of social situations (from embarrassment to aggression).
Laughter is the quickest way to create openness between two people.
A baby`s first behavior is crying, by which he makes his parents look after his needs. From the age of about three months, a baby begins to laugh, creating his first communication with his parents. Later, at kindergarten, we find children laughing for no particular reason, and thus becoming socialized. In fact, this infectious quality of laughter remains with us throughout our lives. Smiling is an innate characteristic among human beings. Everybody smiles - babies, blind people, deaf people, members of every culture: even before they learn a language, everyone knows how to smile.
This is an international language connecting every member of the human race. With the language of laughter and smiling, we can communicate with anyone.
The physiological manifestations of laughter
In laughter, various muscles in the body contract - especially the diaphragm and the facial muscles - and as a result air is expelled from the lungs under pressure, producing the laughing sound. Tears and blushing are also very characteristic of intensive laughter.
We can project messages by means of laughter, such as a threat, avoidance of embarrassment, and evasion.
Laughter and health
Today we already know that laughter is not just the expression of a good mood, or of pleasure and enjoyment, but also has healing properties.
Laughter enables the body to produce its own medicine. Humor can improve the quality of life of chronic patients. Laughter is a brilliant invention for improving feelings and health: it is simple, effective, cheap and accessible.
A new medical profession has recently begun to develop,, called "medical clowning" using laughter for therapeutic purposes. Clowns circulate among hospital wards, entertaining the patients.
Laughter affects body and soul
Laughter has a number of effects:
1. Laughter lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of a heart attack
2. Laughter strengthens the immune system
3. Laughter produces fitness - it strengthens the diaphragm muscle and the stomach muscles
4. Laughter improves mood. It is infectious, and helps people cope with depression
5. Laughter burns calories - it activates the body`s systems powerfully, burning 500 calories an hour
6. Laughter helps us cope with frightening situations, because it creates a positive and optimistic feeling
7. Laughter affects self-confidence and projects leadership and management strength. An entertaining lecturer will be more successful
8. Laughter gives us a feeling of relaxation and ease
The culture of laughter
An entire entertainment industry has developed around laughter: movies, shows and stand-up comedy, in which actors tell jokes or funny incidents.
Laughter yoga
The laughter yoga method makes people laugh by stimulating the laughter reflex physically, and not through the brain (by means of humor).
Laughter yoga is a method that creates a wave of laughter in a group of people. The group starts with a number of exercises that release the laughter reflex and create a rolling and infectious laugh.
In the long term, people who practice laughter yoga regularly become people who laugh more easily, with the courage to break through and make changes in their lives.
Fatal hilarity
Death from laughter is a form of death caused as a result of laughing excessively.
Examples of death by hysterical laughter
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· In the third century BCE, the Greek philosopher Chrysippus of Soli died of laughter, after giving his donkey wine to drink and watching it try to eat figs.
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· It is said that Nanda Bayin, King of Burma, died of laughter in 1599 after hearing from an Italian trader that Venice was a free state without a king.
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· On March 24, 1975 Alex Mitchell, a 15-year-old builder from Britain, died laughing while watching an episode of the television series The Goodies which showed a kilt-wearing Scotsman fighting off an evil black pudding with his bagpipes. After 25 minutes of continuous laughter, Mitchell collapsed on his sofa and died of cardiac arrest. His widow later sent a letter to the program team, thanking them for making her husband`s last moments so enjoyable.
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· In 1989, a Danish audiologist, Ole Bentzen, died watching the movie A Fish Called Wanda. It is estimated that his heart rate reached between 250 and 500 beats per minute before resulting in cardiac arrest.
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· In 2003, a 52-year-old Thai ice cream seller died after laughing in his sleep. His wife tried to wake him without success, and after two minutes of continuous laughter he stopped breathing. The cause of death was apparently cardiac arrest or asphyxiation.
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